Butterfly sculptures fill Phoenix art center this weekend

Metal butterfly sculptures are fluttering around the Valley to help Phoenix Rotary 100 raise funds to help children and the homeless.

Inspired by a sister chapter in Colorado, the century-old club is hosting the third Take Flight charity art auction through Sunday, March 29. Thirty local female artists created the 50-plus large‑scale butterfly sculptures in conjunction with Women’s History Month. Bids for the 12″x30″x40″ butterflies start at $275.

A bidders’ reception is noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 29 at the Shemer Art Center, 5505 E. Camelback Road. After an artist meet-and-greet, Butterfly Wonderland will release live butterflies. 

“Butterflies represent transformation and new beginnings, which goes along with a lot of things that we do, whether it’s education or anti-trafficking,” says Daniel Capote, who co-founded the event with fellow Rotarian Lisa Henning. 

“We wanted to start something new. The first year, we beat the streets and found artists who wanted to participate. Most of them come through referrals, so we don’t have to ‘audition’ anymore. Based on the type of work they do, we assign them a size and they ‘do their thing.’”

Capote added that the sculptures are protected by automotive clear coating, allowing them to be displayed outdoors.

“Some of them are gorgeous monarch butterflies, while others serve as a palette for the artists. They might do a desert landscape or a sunrise. In our first year, we had one artist who included astronauts and a Space Shuttle. We donated that one to the Arizona Science Center. 

“Another one was Southwest-themed with chili peppers. That one is located at Butterfly Wonderland in their pollinator garden. So, some resemble butterflies, and others are sculptural artworks. It is all auctioned.”

For its first year, Rotary 100 solicited artist submissions. By 2025, the roster of artists expanded, and the installations spread further across the city. Now, in its third year, Take Flight has established its identity: part public-art project, part community showcase, part fundraiser.

“We were looking for something that felt like Phoenix today, not Phoenix in 1985,” said Rotary 100 board member James Patel in a statement. “The club has a long history, but we’re not interested in being a museum piece. Take Flight was a way to show that.”

The Shemer Art Center’s partnership has been key to that growth, as it provides the space and community outreach.

“Shemer is where the pieces finally come together,” program director Lila Morrison said in a statement. “The artists get to see their work in a real setting, Rotary gets to connect with the public and we get to support programs that keep this place running.”

Rotary has spent over a century funding youth programs, supporting schools and backing community initiatives. However, Taking Flight gives Rotary 100 the visibility it needs.

“People see the butterflies before they see us,” Patel says. “And that’s fine. If the art gets them to the event, we can tell them the rest of the story.”

The auction supports Rotary’s community programs and Shemer’s arts education efforts, a practical split that reflects the partnership’s balance. Neither organization treats the event as a branding exercise. It’s work — useful, collaborative and increasingly efficient.

As the third annual Take Flight opens to the public, sculptures are arranged in neat rows across the Shemer lawn. Visitors walk among them, take photos, others scan QR codes to check bids. 

“Rotary has been here for more than 100 years,” Patel says. “If Take Flight is going to be part of the next 100, that works for me.”